Der Günstige Augenblick
by Actually Marvelous
Summary: Prussia finds a small, shaking child on a battlefield in 1813. His vow to protect the child and raise him into a strong nation shapens the course of the century for him. He's on his own against his other siblings and his neigbours, but for Ludwig, he'll go to war, as only blood and iron can ensure that the favourable moment does not pass them by again.


**Disclaimer: I do not own any character-except Baden and Württemberg, OCs-from Hetalia. They are the intellectual property of Himaruya Hidekaz. Any historical figures mentioned are purely their own person, I am only using them for accuracy and I hopefully did not completely mess up dead men from the 19th century.**

 **The following oneshot is my entry for the APH A Brief History of Time Event on tumblr. The focus was originally just the German Unification itself, but my opinions on Germany's birth differ a bit from what canon seems to imply and it ran away from me.**  
 **(I cannot honestly believe that Sealand can exist while Germany couldn't have, when the idea of a unified country was present in the Germans' minds for decades before the forming of the German Empire.)**  
 **I recommend looking at maps of Germany during said period-specifically the section "Kleinstaaterei" . Different maps illustrate well how the territories changed in the century.**  
 **2) the Ems Dispatch to get an idea of how Bismarck changed the text majorly by cutting out several parts. It's the only source I found that offered both texts side by side in English.**

 **Some of my sources are Bismarck's autobiography "Gedanken und Erinnerungen, 22. Kapitel"; Fesser, G.: "Die Welt stürzt ein!" Bismarcks Triumph bei Königgrätz: Die Zertrümmerung des Deutschen Bundes gefährdet das europäische Gleichgewicht (from "Die Zeit"); Gall, L.: Bismarck. Der weiße Revolutionär, and several internet pages. Historical notes will follow at the bottom.**

 **All nations are being referred to by their country names, minus Germany in the beginning. The reasonings will become clear by reading.**

* * *

It was the year of the Lord 1813 when Prussia first met Ludwig. He could not give the child a nation name yet, not when he hardly possessed a proper body, and he would never utter the one France gave to Ludwig voluntarily.

Ludwig, who answered to Louis then, was hiding behind France on the battlefield side by Leipzig. Prussia would later be notified that the child was the Confederation of the Rhine. Holy Rome's _replacement_.

Convincing him and a couple others of his brothers and sisters to switch sides was amazingly easy. Saxony in particular proved a surprise. Hadn't he just been fighting for the French? Now he was shooting at them.

Austria also picked up on Ludwig's presence and his intentions were clear as crystal. That idiot of an aristocrat wished to bring him home like he'd done with the poor Northern Italy, Hungary, the Balkans and even Holy Rome, despite the latter being the true owner of the house. Prussia would do his damnedest to keep this from ever happening, he vowed, as he held the shaking and sobbing child. It must have been the first time he laid eyes on something (or somebody) and see it die. No, Ludwig was his little brother, and he was going to grow up into a strong nation, unmatched by anyone else. Even if it would kill Prussia.

* * *

By 1815, England had finally kicked France's ass and they had done away with that insane Emperor of his for good. Yet the question of what was to become of the warmonger and the child Prussia had been rearing since the battle? Austria would not drop the topic easily, Prussia was not quite so deluded as to think his fellow nation had given up on Ludwig.

So when Austria invited to a congress in Vienna, where Europe would be restructured over balls, he joined.

France's old monarchy was reinstated and the size of his country shortened considerably. Poland, his ally, had been partitioned again. Prussia was rather pleased at his own increase in land, although Russia had received the largest portion and would be in a personal union with the personification. Their forced marriage was a spectacle Prussia wasn't likely to forget, several of them holding a spitting and kicking Poland while Prussia himself, as a former Catholic order, officiated without particularly caring for the resistance. Denmark, France's other ally, had already lost Norway to Sweden. They had yet to breach the topic of Ludwig.

A unified German state. Prussia had hoped to have deniability for longer, but there was no other explanation. Ludwig was the spirit of an unfounded nation, of a divided peoples. Austria and he had made all sorts of promises before the wars in order to rally the troops, not the least of which was unification. Prussia wondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew with his loud mouth.

"So what do we do with the kid?", attack has always been the best defence, and Prussia had lived too long already to ignore the wisdom behind certain figures of speech.

Austria flinched at his words, just slightly. Was Specs actually trying to one-up him and trick him into handing Ludwig over without Prussia's notice? _Over my dead body_ , he thought.

Negotiations were lengthy, always disrupted by one social event or another. They finally reached a conclusion when they came up with the idea of a loose confederation, tied together even less than Holy Rome had been. Ludwig finally received a proper name, the German Confederation, but calling him so felt wrong, too. He would be under Prussia's and Austria's protection, the largest and most influential amongst the states. He just needed to find a way to get rid of his rival.

* * *

In 1848, Prussia was enraged. A rational part of him knew Ludwig was doing what any nation in his stead would have done-rebel in hopes of independence and unification. But Ludwig had still hardly grown into a young child, and now he and their peoples, who were not just Ludwig's or just Prussia's, rioted in the streets.

Their demands were insane, Prussia thought. A unified Germany he would understand, but some wished for a constitution, a few even a republic. Did they not see a monarchy was the safest form of state? A new born could be reared from the cradle to take up leadership, could be trained. Inexperienced bosses changing after a short period of time during which nobody could actually implement changes would be madness. France was the perfect example why.

He was not surprised when they failed, his king refusing the "crown from the gutter". But Prussia began to plot in secrecy, figuring that these revolutionary ideas and this identification with a non-existent country had to be catered to in some way. In the end, they were their peoples, and nations had to succumb to their wishes.

Among his plans he signed a treaty with Russia, as his minister-president "encouraged" him to. Otto von Bismarck was a man to his tastes. His political ideologies lied with the king, not the Social Democrats that were becoming entirely too powerful, in Prussia's opinion. Much like the nation, he usually favoured war over tedious debates and thought ahead. Ludwig did not like him anywhere near as much, but if Prussia had learnt one thing from 1848, it was that his brother was more of a liberal than he. Ah well, he would lose his naivety someday.

Austria by now watched his every move like a hawk, knowing full well that war loomed over them both like the sword of Damocles. 1850 had almost brought it down on them, but it was a small mercy that they'd been spared of war back then, when Prussia stood little hope of winning. He needed an opening, just a small way to demonstrate his superiority and fulfil his plans. As long as Austria meddled in these affairs, Baden, Württemberg and Bavaria would never willingly cooperate with him, their Northern brother. He could not blame them fully; Ludwig was a threat to their existence. And none of them wished to relinquish their sovereignty. So Prussia waited for an opportunity, with all patience he could muster.

* * *

Among the territorial questions, one in particular stuck out in 1864. Schleswig and Holstein, bordering Denmark, still had a substantial German population. So when the "King of the North" attempted to formally annex the territory through his constitution, Prussia needed to intervene.

Austria, in rare agreement with him, joined his forces. They drove Denmark out, and while Prussia received Schleswig, Holstein became Austria's. He was another step closer to his goal, yet he still waited for his chance.

* * *

It was 1866 which would bring Prussia and his little brother to overcome what had to be the major hurdle in unifying Germany. Austria and he had been in agreement on the Holstein policy, so what was he doing, messing with it?

The stars were all in their favour; Austria suffered from a deep cold, his finances were that bad. On top of that, he'd managed to anger Russia recently so he wouldn't be gaining military aid from him anytime soon, while Prussia had (albeit reluctantly) formed the convention of Alvensleben in 1863 with him and his Czar.

England was unlikely to get involved, had made a half-hearted attempt at playing peacemaker, but really, he had more important matters to think of.

France was the true danger. He'd become a nuisance this century, that revolution probably cut off not just the head, but took the brains with it. (If there'd ever been one to speak of.) His territorial desires, though, opened certain doors. His emperor hoped for Luxembourg, or Wallonia maybe. So Bismarck had fuelled said hopes, in exchange for neutrality in the upcoming conflict. That Holstein was really no more than a pathetic excuse for war was obvious to all parties.

* * *

In February, Prussia's leaders were all for the war. Only his Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm opposed the plans to ally with Italy and fight Austria.

"It's going to be a brother's war!"

"Austria is not my brother, your Royal Highness", Prussia hissed, "And never will he be."

He wondered how he would handle this man's regency. A liberal, wedded to a liberal British princess, holding the title of Prussian King? This was concerning. Hopefully Bismarck could keep him grounded.

All protests aside, majority and his King's opinion dictated that negotiations with South Italy would begin in secret.

* * *

The truly important puzzle piece was Italy.

The Italians were in a similar situation to them, perhaps actually a worse one. The younger brother was stuck in Austria's house, while the older one had fought tooth and nail to get out from under Spain's rule.

They would both benefit from the secret pact Prussia and South Italy/Romano were about to sign in April. Prussia carefully placed his signature at the bottom, but South Italy's hand hovered above the contract, before slowly withdrawing. Was he backing out of their deal?

"So I get Veneziano back, and what about you?", the Italian snapped him out of his thoughts. "There's no fucking way you'd not insist on any territorial claims. So forgive me, but I don't exactly trust that you won't stab me in the back the moment we attack that pretentious shithead." Prussia had tried to veil his full intentions, but why had he anyways? They were (or were about to be) allies, he didn't need to. The reason was simple; only a select few nations knew of Ludwig's existence. France, who'd found him, Prussia, who was raising him, and Austria, who wanted to control him.

"I might take great pleasure in beating up Austria." South Italy raised an eyebrow in question, hand still holding the fountain pen. While that wasn't a lie, it was obviously not the full truth and did not appease the Mediterranean nation. Thus, Prussia continued.

"I have a little brother."

"Aren't there several dozens of them running around, as well as sisters?"

"No, he's not like them. Ludwig-he's not some duchy or principality. He's _Germany_. And I need to keep Austria's influence on his southern peoples, especially Bavaria's and Baden's realms, at bay. In other words, I need to battle the "pretentious shithead". Great name, by the way." Both of them chuckled slightly.

"So what are you going to do to him?"

"Well, my King and my Minister-President aren't agreeing yet. I guess I'll have to win first, and make up demands after." Romano gave him one last once-over, before he moved his hand towards the contract again. This time, he lowered it all the way down, scratching his name beside Prussia's. Prussia extended his hand for the South Italian to shake. Romano's grasp was firm, and promised sweet victory.

* * *

Austria had somehow convinced the other states to rally their troops against him after his invasion of Holstein. Prussia scoffed.

He'd refused to vote, angrily counting the votes in favour of military intervention. That the majority ended up voting "yes" wasn't much of a surprise, and his Minister-President had already instructed him on how he should proceed.

"This vote is not legal", Prussia declared. His siblings glared at him, unfazed by his attempts to fight back, but they hadn't expected the direction he was taking.

"This isn't a Federal Execution, but an unauthorised declaration of war against a member state. This vote, 14th of June 1866, has officially led the German Confederation to cease existing." The reactions were instantaneous. Yelling, the occasional pen thrown, the average pandemonium for any assembly of nation personifications really.

"The idea of Germany, however, has not. I intend to form a new confederation with the remaining willing states. The other among you have, as I just said, essentially declared war on me, and you'll regret it." Prussia smirked at the shocked faces and after he walked out of the room, his grin widened even more.

There it was. At long last, he had received his opportunity, and he had seized it with all his might.

* * *

Now that war had been declared, the Italians had started their uprising, and Prussia's army was making its way southward.

While South Italy lost to Austria in Custozza, his own army had split up and won over the Austrians and Saxons, crossing over the Krkonoše mountains.

Now, near Königgrätz in July, they were resting and scouting the Austrian army.

"Bruder?"

"Yes, Ludwig?" He'd made the choice to take Ludwig with him on a split second. Most of his soldiers also desired unity, and nothing boosted morale more than the presence of their nation. The child may not have been capable of fighting properly just yet, but Prussia had taught him a few things already and he would be fine, he was sure of it.

"Are we going to win?"

"Naturally. We're too awesome to lose, West."

"But what if we do?"

"Don't worry about that. We'll kick his ass and then Austria will never be a problem again."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."

"Okay." Ludwig nestled into his arms, breathing calmly for a few minutes until he did fall asleep. Prussia watched over him for a bit, until he too closed his eyes. He'd face Austria tomorrow, after all.

* * *

The battle was in full swing when he and the third army under his Crown Prince's command attacked and joined the other two on the 3rd of July.

Ludwig clearly struggled sitting upright; he'd been on horseback for hours now, his blonde hair framed the sides of his face limply.

Prussia was stuck in battle mode, barking out orders left and right while on the lookout for his opponent. He shot the Austrian soldiers down, their weapons being no match for the superior Prussian rifles.

He got angrier the longer it took him to spot the brunet aristocrat. But at last he saw him, and sped in his direction, his horse neighing.

"You're crazy!" Austria's dishevelled appearance pleased Prussia somewhat.

"If I am, I can assure you I'm not quite as far gone as France yet."

"You'll kill yourself, your siblings, and probably me too!", Austria screamed at him.

"Of course your death is the only thing you care about." That one had always been a self-serving asshole. They circled each other, neither willing to fire the first shot.

"And if I do? The result would be the same. We're dying, for him. You'd have to be insane to let that happen!"

"I'm not. But I'd rather die on my own terms, beloved and remembered by my people as the one who gave Germany a unified state instead of being hunted down as the oppressor and symbol of the 'evil' government." Prussia finished his words with a gunshot.

* * *

The next day saw a victory for Prussia. He'd made losses, but Austria's and Saxony's were bigger, which was what really mattered in the end.

Historically speaking, that battle would give Prussia's and Austria's strange tug-of-war dynamic a whole different direction, one in which Prussia went on his merry way and left Austria in the dirt. Prussia hadn't expected that it would also be considered religiously relevant; despite his Grandmaster converting and the majority of his peoples being Protestant, he had always remained a devout Catholic himself. However, Austria liked to present himself as the Pope's protection (even if that role actually fell to Switzerland) and the Vatican viewed his victory as Protestantism winning over Catholicism.

Cardinal Secretary of State, Giacomo Antonelli, had allegedly exclaimed the following upon receiving the news: " _Casca il mondo_ ", the world collapses on itself. The thought of the world collapsing amused Prussia more than it probably should.

Austria surrendered on the condition that he would not give any territory away. Wilhelm had not wanted to accept it, but Bismarck had convinced him otherwise.

"Why the change of heart?", Prussia asked him, "Wasn't it you who claimed Austria could not be nor would want to be our friend?" He had, regrettably, not been present when Bismarck laid his plans open. The differences between his former and current Austria policies were large.

"For one, Prussia, we might need him in the future. No, don't say a word. We have many enemies; Denmark to our north, France to our West, rebellious Poles to our east. We don't need to anger Austria any further than we already have. This alone may not be enough to convince you, but let me ask you a question: Do you want France to get involved while we are negotiating?"

"Obviously not."

"Therefore, we must hurry and reach an agreement. The only way to do so is to meet Austria at a point he'll be content with."

Austria was reasonably suspicious when Prussia brought him the news. Regardless, he signed their treaty in Prague and officially declared he would not get involved in affairs involving a sovereign German country anymore.

The German Confederation was buried for good, and the North German Confederation took its place. It did not extend below the Main river, but only Prussia presided over it now. Bismarck also helped chase the rulers of multiple German states from their throne, and his territory was finally connected. After the treaties of Vienna his borders had been in a less than favourable state where two bigger landmasses and several small enclaves were Prussian territory, and ruling over the lands was a challenge when he had to cross borders to reach the remainder of his country.

Ludwig had grown a bit. He was still a weak child, fell ill easily compared to grown nations and hung onto Prussia's mantle like a lifeline, yet the North German Confederation gave him a bigger stability than before and kept him from the aristocrat's reach. Speaking of the aristocrat…

* * *

"Mister Austria, I have come to you with a plead of my peoples." Hungary stood in the doorway to his chambers, eyes downcast. Austria rose from his seat, closing the sheets of music he was playing before she interrupted him.

"Please enter. I shall listen." He crossed over to her and motioned to the small tea table with two chairs. "Sit down, will you?" Hungary waited until he had lowered himself down before taking her own seat.

"You mentioned a request of your peoples. How am I meant to help you in handling them? Are they threatening to cause trouble again?" Another Hungarian uprising was the last thing he needed right now. His wallet was empty, Prussia had fought him out of North Germany, and his own peoples were upset.

"No, no!", Hungary attempted to placate him immediately. "I would not request anything in their name if they did." (Austria knew she would be fighting alongside them if it were so.) "But, ah, they're… not pleased. With the recent events, I mean." She didn't need to specify.

"What can _I_ do about that?"

"They want more political power", Hungary admitted what he could have guessed on his own. "My peoples are open to negotiations, but small benevolences will not be enough for much longer, I'm afraid."

Austria thought the situation through for a bit. Clearly a compromise was essential and he needed to act fast. More political power meant they really wanted to be equal to Austrian citizens… -He had an idea already.

"Hungary", he looked her straight in the eye, "how would you feel about marriage?"

* * *

"I do." On the 15th March of 1867, Count Gyula Andrássy took the oath and became Prime Minister of Hungary. It was accompanied by the wedding of the personifications of Austria and Hungary, although Austria's emperor had not been crowned king of her lands yet, nor had the laws been cemented in either of their constitutions so far. They said their vows either way, and Austria lifted her veil to kiss her when they were pronounced husband and wife.

* * *

The news of Austria's and Hungary's marriage had caught him by surprise.

Prussia vividly recalled the tough 'boy' he fought with and even centuries after his discovery, he struggled to connect 'him' with the feminine servant-no-more who stayed at home, wore dresses and was _married_. The Wars of Austrian Succession had taught him that despite giving up her sword and letting her skills get rusty she could still kick his ass in a fight, but that too belonged to the past. No matter how many times Austria had been married to headstrong and brutal nations, he strongly disapproved of his spouses causing bloodshed, more so when they were female. In a union where he ruled over her, Hungary would never be permitted to return to her childhood ways. Prussia didn't know whether he should pity her or thank God for His mercy that he had no reason to fear her now.

He did hope Austria treated her rightly, even if he wasn't sure what that meant. He had never been married after all, and Prussia did not intend to 'tie the knot' anytime soon. With whom, anyways? Prussia shook his head. Why was he thinking about that if it wasn't part of his plans?

What _was_ part of his plan was full unification of Germany, preferably under his leadership. The north had already come together, the south still violently opposed the idea. There had been talks of creating a southern penchant to his confederation, but it had failed miserably.

Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg and Hesse were his biggest concerns. Some of Hesse was already part of him, but the Main line served as border between the Germanys. He was also a skilled mercenary, not as terrifying as Switzerland, but still a serious opponent. Baden was slightly easier to intimidate. Württemberg was a tough woman and not willing to lose power. Bavaria, that old coot, was the worst and most important one of the bunch. Besides Austria, he was the only one who could possibly challenge his status, and the two still got along too well.

Now how could he get them to play nice long enough to turn Ludwig into an official state? There was exactly one thing all of them had in common, and that was their love for war. Nothing else would ensure cooperation between them as well as battle (see Napoleonic wars).

But who should Prussia wage war with? Austria was still nursing his wounds, now with a doting wife at his side, and there was nothing to gain from another conflict. Poland had largely shut up, he had bigger concerns with his husband Russia, who was still Prussia's ally. (Something he would not have considered possible until this madness of a century.) Denmark hadn't provoked anything, Switzerland was still neutral, England in his splendid isolation was out conquering. Everyone else was too far away, except France.

That man had been a thorn in his side for a while anyways. Prussia still itched for retribution after Napoleon. At least he had the Quadriga back where it belonged, on the Brandenburg Gate, with the addition of an Iron Cross. The humiliation of the Corsican being hailed in his capital like Christ during his entry in Jerusalem still angered him, and there were quite a few Germans in Alsace and Lorraine. The other German states were also cross with France, so he would have to do.

The actual provoking of war would be trickier. Prussia needed the support and sympathy of the southern states, and if he declared war, it would not be enough. He needed France to become the warmonger.

Training Ludwig was all he could do these days, but if the child didn't hit a major growth spurt soon, he would not be able to learn much more. He was twiddling his thumbs waiting for the last opening, and his patience was worn thin.

* * *

The irony of Spain being the trigger was not lost on Prussia. Their old friend finally approached him in 1870.

"I need a heir", Spain told him. "One of your nobles is related to mine, right? I thought he might be an option."

The thing was, Spain's royal house was related more closely to the Bourbons, France's royalty. So when the Frenchman caught wind of the enquiry, events came to a head. But he'd even heard of the issue with the next King of Spain before him! Finally, the declaration followed that no, the Prince of Hohenzollern would withdraw his application.

This decision was a sign of Prussian weakness that France would certainly want to push. It seemed to be in his nature, to prey upon the weak. Now, unless France saw through him, he held all the reins. His minister-president had calculated well, so Prussia only had to sit back and watch it unfold.

* * *

The French diplomat ended up harassing his vacationing king in the middle of the street. After everything, he had the audacity to demand an authorisation to telegraph that the king would eternally commit himself to never again consent to a renewed Hohenzollern candidature. Obviously he'd been rejected, and after being advised by Eulenburg and Abeken, Wilhelm had sent Benedetti away.

The telegram that Bismarck received from Ems was certainly as urgent as it proclaimed. Prussia had been with him, and was busy talking him out of resigning. What nonsense that would be-his minister-president was far more of a tactician than his king and had manoeuvred him through the war with Austria. If there was to be war with France, he would need him a lot.

Bismarck, Roon, Moltke and he were dining on the 13th of July when Bismarck read out the telegram to them, all of them sure hope was lost. The idea Abeken had was not a bad one though. If the press caught wind of the irrational demands and rejection, France would be humiliated, angry, and declare war. Thus Bismarck shortened the message in a few places, and his edited version was entirely different in tone. If the press and their diplomats in France received the cut message, it would be known in Paris by midnight.

"This is fantastic", Prussia breathed. "He'll never let this go. His pride wouldn't let him. Hook, line and sinker. All we need is to win this war then."

"So, who is passing this along to the press?"

* * *

"You filthy liar!"

"France. To what do I owe the pleasure? How did you even get in here?", Prussia addressed a livid Frenchman who had somehow made it past a bunch of castle guards and stormed into his room. He hadn't noticed France crossing his border, which implied he'd been there already, perhaps entering his country while he had been sleeping. The thought of not knowing if any nations were present on his territory unsettled him, but Prussia refused to let it show on his face.

"You know exactly why I'm here", completely ignoring his last question, France waved a newspaper in his face. "It wasn't like that at all and you know it!"

"Did your diplomat harass my king on open street or not?", Prussia stood up, drawing himself to full height. His hand automatically went for the sword at his side, but he stilled it at the last second. He couldn't show any sign of aggression now, not when he was _this_ close.

"This is slander and I will not stand for it!"

"France, you got what you wanted. My noble won't take the Spanish throne. So why don't you show yourself out before I do it for you?"

"If you do not apologize, I will declare war."

"When have I ever been known to take my words back? They're not even my own this time, just a recounting of what transpired in Ems. _Forget it._ "

"That's it. Consider this my personal declaration, a formal one will follow sooner rather than later." France turned on his heels, strutting out of Prussia's chambers like they were his own and he regretted not stabbing him while he had the chance. On the other hand, the blood would have been so difficult to clean, it was probably for the best.

On the 19th of July, 1870, France formally declared war on Prussia. Well, he had to actually do something now. Win a war, for example.

* * *

What France had sadly not counted on was Prussia's siblings actually coming to his aid. Even after their protective alliances had been published in 1867, he had expected the states to stay neutral in the conflict. (Pissing off Bavaria seemed like a good idea at the time, but how could he have known?)

Among getting revenge for the insult committed, he also needed the war to create his heir's legacy. Personally, France would prefer if his citizens finally agreed on a political system and stuck with it. The last hundred years alone had seen a monarchy, a republic that temporarily became a dictatorship, an empire, a renewed kingdom, another republic and finally a second empire that started out autocratic, but his citizens demanded more political participation and France knew it was only a matter of time until a new revolution happened. Handling all these new bosses and systems gave him headaches.

Sadly, not even Austria (and Hungary, now) would ally with him. He still suffered from the loss against Prussia, and Russia intimidated him into not helping France.

England and, as a result, Denmark remained neutral, and the Benelux states refused to enter the war after Prussia had shown them his plans to annex the francophone part of Belgium. Sending Benedetti to Berlin had turned out to be a major mistake.

The situation left France alone against Prussia and the other southern German states, in the role of aggressor, and his troops were rallying slower than theirs. _Fantastic_.

He'd have to attack if he wanted any hope of winning, separate Prussia from his siblings and force Austria-Hungary into entering the war.

* * *

While Prussia and his allies brought their troops to the border, France opened battle. By the second of August, he attacked German territory. He only managed to capture Saarbrücken, effectively stopping him from a major offensive.

Instead, they moved towards France, rapidly winning battle after battle. Weißenburg, Wörth, Spichern… Alsace was cleared and occupied.

France's concerns grew each day. Victory seemed much less likely, and after the battle of Mars-de-la-Tour, they were retreating.

His army was exhausted and weak, and their weariness began to affect him. Nations could personally go much longer without food and rest than the average human, but when they felt their citizens suffering, they did, too.

Sedan wasn't that far away, they would stay the night there and recuperate. Honestly, France was pleased at the thought of finally sleeping in a bed, even if it was just for one night.

Of course, nothing went as planned. He should've known that long before he heard the first cannon shot.

* * *

Prussia couldn't believe his luck. When they advanced to the small town he hadn't guessed that the French army would want to camp there of all places.

This was going to be _laughably_ easy to win.

"Bring out the cannons!"

Ludwig stood at his side, clearly excited. He definitely took after him, Prussia decided.

"Can I fire one, Bruder? Please?"

"I did teach you how to already, didn't I?"

"Yes! So can I? _Please?_ " Prussia would've already said yes the first time, but Ludwig's begging face was so cute, really.

"How old are you again? You don't look any older than seven and this idiot is teaching you how to use big weapons. You're insane", that last sentence was directed at Prussia, and he turned to face his brother, Bavaria, ever the same asshole.

"Ludwig is our future and you know it. Who else will teach him? If you raised him, he would've been drinking beer as a three-year-old and building castles instead of shooting Frenchmen. If you hadn't dropped him on the head before and killed him, that is."

Baden and Württemberg, who had been watching the scene, tried to stifle their laughs.

"As if any of us would be that easy to kill. But if you think he can handle that, well, I want to see him shoot a cannon. And fail." Ludwig looked insulted, and made a beeline for the cannons. Prussia and their southern siblings, now joined by Hesse, followed him.

Indeed, Prussia had taught him well. Ludwig still lacked in strength and height, but he succeeded in loading and firing the cannon. Sadly, he forgot the most important thing: to cover his ears. He wouldn't be able to hear anything more than a loud ringing for an hour, at least.

When he saw the cannonball hit a rather important point, Prussia couldn't quite stop beaming with pride and hugged his little brother.

* * *

The battle was definitely in their favour. Even France's emperor was captured, and that was when the Germans came face to face with the French nation.

" _Give us your swo-ord_ ", Prussia almost sang. While it was more of a power play than an actually reasonable demand, France scowled and handed it over, much like his boss before him.

France couldn't win the war now, all of them knew it. He refused to capitulate, but this First of September would remain the symbol of his win over France for centuries to come.

* * *

France's citizens had (predictably) revolted after Sedan and proclaimed a Third French Republic, which continued battling them.

Negotiations between the North German Confederation under Prussia's leadership and the remaining states began while their armies pushed France's back.

Baden had just two days after Sedan voiced his wish to join, unsurprisingly. He had already asked several times in the past, but due to political circumstances, had been turned away. Württemberg sent a delegate a week after. Hesse hadn't wanted to agree to the small German solution, but since his upper half was already North German territory, he kind of had to.

Of course Bavaria was the problem. He'd known that for decades. His king remained in favour of independence, but even Bavaria knew better than to end up isolated. So when Prussia and Bavaria started negotiating, he suggested a constitutional alliance first.

Prussia agreed.

The constitution they drew up planned for twenty-five administrative states, a bit like across the pond. Prussia would still be the leading one, with Berlin as the capital and his kings becoming the German emperors. Prussia wondered if that would change the outcome they all considered inevitable.

To his knowledge, America was the sole personification of the United States, at least now that he had ended his civil war and gotten rid of the South. America had started out as thirteen colonies, unified in spirit enough to not create thirteen different personifications. But they had been hundreds, growing together until nationalism became strong enough to birth one that represented them all. Would he kill them all, too? Would he, becoming a nation and coming out on top of them all, result in their deaths, like Austria had predicted? _Would Ludwig, soon to be the German Empire, be his undoing?_

Prussia shouldn't be worrying over it. Concern would only distract him from what he had been working towards since 1813. He had sworn to protect him with his life, and only a stable form of state could ensure Ludwig's survival. So if it did kill him, he would at least have upheld his oath.

* * *

One thing that remained concerning was the threat that everything could be destroyed by a repeat of 1849. If the Reichstag was the first to offer the crown to Wilhelm, he would refuse it like his brother had. Only a religious or noble entity could bestow it on him. The pope was very much not an option, and there were hardly any nobles with enough power to do so, except maybe Bavaria's king.

His name, perhaps ironically, was Ludwig II. He may have been against a unification at first, but it was obvious that he didn't care much for ruling. He preferred the arts and architecture, as expensive as those things were. His love for castles would be Prussia's best chance.

Bismarck had entrusted him with a pre-formulated letter for the king to sign, in exchange Bavaria's boss would receive copious amounts of gold.

Bavaria returned the signed letter not a week later, and Wilhelm accepted the offered crown when he was approached by the emperor deputation, even if it was referred to as federal presidency at first. The name was changed by New Year in the new constitution, and plans were made to officially crown him on the 18th, the 170th anniversary of the crowning of Friedrich I.

Perhaps the day Prussia celebrated as his birthday would become his death day, too.

* * *

However, Wilhelm was hesitant. He primarily saw himself as the King of Prussia, and he would always hold that title, but he needed to accept that the entire empire would rest on his shoulders, not just the kingdom at its head.

"I don't want this crown to become the more important one", he told Prussia and Bismarck in confidentiality.

Yet if it didn't, the remaining states would become upset. His suggested title of Emperor of Germany would have angered them too, as their bosses would have become his subjects.

Prussia listened to Bismarck telling him those very things, explaining why he should be German Emperor. It certainly fit more, considering the nation would be called the German Empire and not Germany. The title had been included in the Imperial Letter and the constitution, so they shouldn't even dispute over it.

"I will not take the crown with that title."

Really, Wilhelm? Really? He was supposed to be crowned the next day, and he was threatening them with refusing the throne. Prussia was close to snapping, until he remembered who was in charge of presenting Wilhelm.

"I'll talk to Baden", he said to Bismarck, "let him figure out what to do. It's his boss who is meant to introduce His Majesty, after all."

Bismarck sent him on his way, and he found the man in question rather quickly.

"What did I do? I didn't do anything I swear!", Prussia pressed a squeaking and clearly terrified Baden against the wall.

"Your boss", he said, "needs to make sure this crowning happens without a scandal. Wilhelm wants to be Emperor of Germany, while he's already German Emperor. I don't care what your Grand Duke calls him, he just has to avoid this little thing ruining all I have worked for this century. Got it?"

Baden managed a shaky nod, and Prussia let him down. "Good."

Hopefully, the Grand Duke would succeed.

* * *

He had, somehow. Wilhelm agreed to accept the crown, although he bemoaned his own misfortune. "This will be the saddest day of my life, and that is your fault, Bismarck. We'll take him to his grave tomorrow, do you realize this? All for this little, helpless child supposed to be an empire."

Prussia couldn't repress the shiver he felt at those words, even with how often he had considered the consequences of this crowning. Ludwig certainly wouldn't want him or any of his siblings to die, but it was a strong possibility. He had heard tales of Rome fading in his sleep, when the Turks attacked Byzantine, would this happen to the rest of them? Was German Unity, was _Ludwig_ truly worth the death of them all?

Yes. Yes, he was.

* * *

He would have spent the rest of the day preparing Ludwig for what might be the most important event in his life as a nation-the day he became one. Instead, they went outside, despite the chilly winter air.

Due to the war and negotiations, time with Ludwig had been hard to find. Watching him play in the snow like any normal child was a blessing, more so when Prussia remembered that this might have been his last full day on Earth.

When his siblings, including a pale Baden, joined them, Prussia couldn't bring himself to argue with them like he might have any other time. He even let Bavaria toss Ludwig in the air like a sack of potatoes, whereas he would have protested normally, let Württemberg hug both of them, and his annoyed, mildly anxious mood took a gloomy, melancholic turn.

Hesse let himself fall into the chair next to Prussia, having barely escaped Württemberg's heartfelt and body-squeezing embrace.

"You know what tomorrow may bring." Prussia almost hadn't heard him, but he nodded.

"All I've done since our wars against Napoleon was for him. Denmark, Austria, France now, they were threats to him. We are, too, just like he is a threat to us. If he is who our peoples want, how can we deny them? We can't do to him what we did with Holy Rome. He was weak, so easily gone. A person that was centuries old, but we trapped him in the body of a child to protect ourselves. I don't know about you, but I cannot watch Ludwig suffer the same fate, wise beyond his appearance and torn apart." He took a breath, looking at Ludwig, and then at the wide sky. It was darkening, nightfall would come soon.

"Are you not scared?"

"I suppose I am. We may seem indestructible and immortal, but we aren't. We are more enduring than humans, but in the end, we are a mimicry of them. Humans turn to dust when they are too frail to keep fighting; but we aren't born like them. We are ideas that look like them, and when an idea disappears, it is only ever mentioned in past tense. It fades, as though it had never existed in the first place. That's what happened to our grandfather and Rome, at least. It might happen to us.

"We might live on, too. Our bosses and our names will not be eradicated, after all. We just become part of someone's, Ludwig's house. Perhaps we'll just continue on as parts of him.

"None of us can know for sure where we will be this time tomorrow. Ludwig certainly will start growing, and the rest of us? Maybe we'll be watching over him, perhaps we'll go to Heaven or Hell, or nothing happens at all, we simply fade away. It is daunting, certainly. But what choice do we have besides waiting for the time to come?"

"Actually do something instead of sitting around!", a snowball hit Prussia in the face.

"Bavaria! What was that for?" He turned his head just fast enough to see Hesse throw one at Württemberg, who was still laughing at a dripping Ludwig.

"Are you going to sit here all night or will you join us?", Bavaria retorted, preparing further ammunition.

Prussia resigned himself to his fate and stood up, only to be pelted by various snowballs. Ludwig ran up to him, excitement on his face. He picked his little brother up, took one of the snowballs out of his hands, and threw it at a sniggering Baden. Serious emotions could wait until the next day. Carpe diem, after all.

* * *

In the morning, they marched on towards the castle of Versailles, as they had planned. In the Hall of Mirrors all the pride of the French resided, and founding their Empire there would be their victory, even if the war still went on.

Prussia tried to calm himself down. He may have seemed much more controlled than the rest of them last evening, but this had to go off without a hitch. If this would take him to his grave, it better be perfect.

The issue with the title had been pushed into the back of his mind, but had returned to the forefront of his thoughts with full force.

Ludwig was the most jittery of them all, nervous and overwhelmed. Bavaria had produced a bottle of beer, and Prussia was tempted to rip it from his hands. He would not tolerate drunkards at this event, at least until the formal part was over.

* * *

The celebration began with mass. Prussia found that he hadn't sung hymns as fervently as on that day since his time as a crusader.

Wilhelm and the other federal princes stood on the dais – that was not planned, was this Bismarck's idea? –, when Bismarck read out the proclamation of the German Empire, and Prussia held his breath.

"We take the imperial dignity in the consciousness of duty to protect in German fidelity the rights of the Empire and its members, to maintain peace, to defend the independence of Germany, supported by the united power of its people. We accept them in the hope that the German people will be allowed to enjoy the wages of their hot and self-sacrificing struggles in lasting peace and within the confines which give to the Fatherland the security which has been lacking for centuries, against renewed attacks by France. But to us and to our successors to the imperial crown, God would always lend us to be several men of the German Empire, not in warlike conquests, but in goods and gifts of peace in the field of national prosperity, freedom and order."

Then Grand Duke Friedrich I. of Baden finally issued a "Long live his Imperial and Royal Majesty, Emperor Wilhelm!", proving himself a decent diplomat.

Or, well, that was what Prussia was later told happened.

From the moment Bismarck had opened his mouth, Prussia's eyes were on his siblings. Ludwig stood as tall as his small frame allowed, beaming with pride and happiness. Baden refused to look anywhere except his Grand Duke. Württemberg stood at his side, concern written all over her face and stance. Hesse was suspiciously absent, and only Bavaria would meet his eyes.

At a snail's pace they became transparent, slowly fading into nothing. Baden disappeared first, stoic and seemingly accepting. Württemberg followed him, and it took much longer, but Bavaria was the last to go, still staring him down.

Only when all of them had faded did Prussia look down on himself. He had paled, even for his standards. He closed his eyes, certain that he would meet his southern siblings' fates. Yet something called him back, and when he opened them again, he was surrounded by hailing people, proclaiming Wilhelm as their emperor. He had regained all colour that he had lost, and this was when Ludwig turned to face him.

No, not Ludwig. That was his human name, but Prussia could call the child making his way towards him, presumably for a hug, by his name now. The German Empire.

 **The End**

* * *

 **Historical notes:  
**

 **1813:** The Battle of the Nations near Leipzig was the turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. Greeted as Germans, Saxon soldiers betrayed their French allies. These wars incited German patriotism and many unkept promises were made to rally the troops.

 **1815:** The Congress of Vienna intended to preserve the European balance of power. The Polish partition and reinstating of the French monarchy were just as important to it as the birth of the German Confederation.

 **1848:** The German Revolution, started by students, that failed because no noble actually wanted to unify Germany, and Friedrich Wilhelm IV. refused the crown with those very words. Other issues were that the Nationalversammlung couldn't agree on just how big Germany was (the three solutions) or what form of state it should be. The convention of Alvensleben was a secret pact with Russia, and 1850 almost caused a war when Prussians tried to create a German parliament.

 **1864:** The Danish-German war ended victorious for the German side and with territorial losses for Denmark. It's the first of the German Wars of Unification.

 **1866:** The war against Austria was a necessity to establish dominance in Germany, although many opposed the war, like the future emperor Friedrich III. His wife was a daughter of Queen Victoria and he was much more liberal compared to his father and son, but due to illness he only reigned for 99 days. It was imperative to end the war quickly, so France wouldn't get involved and Austria wouldn't end up too angry. Another brilliant tactic of Bismarck, as the leniency shown to the losers paved the way to the defensive alliance between both states. The alliance with the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmonte (who I substituted with Romano) caused a two-front war and ended in Italian Unity, when Venice was handed over. The North German Confederation replaced the German one.

 **1867:** APH Canonically speaking, Austria and Hungary weren't married during the Chibitalia segments. I figured, as the 15th March is considered the empire's birthday, it's probably their wedding date. Hungarians had revoluted in the 1840s and demanded political participation, ending in the double monarchy.

 **1870:** The Franco-Prussian War, last in the German Wars of Unity, began with the crisis after Queen Isabella II. of Spain had been overthrown. If the Prince of Hohenzollern's withdrawal was part of Bismarck's plot, we'll never know. His memoirs describe it as the king messing his plans up. The dinner after receiving the Ems Dispatch happened according to them, I added Prussia in as another guest. Passing the shortened message on to the press caused an upheaval, and the turbulent session in the French parliament on the 16th July caused the North German Confederation and its allies to rally their troops. The French really thought Prussia would fight alone, but ended up losing miserably.  
The battle of Sedan ended up mystified in the German Empire and became the inofficial national holiday. Napoléon III. was captured, the Third French Republic was founded and continued the war until March 1871. Said republic would remain until the Fall of France in 1940.  
The war opened doors to the addition of Southern Germany, although Bavaria was hesitant. The Imperial Letter was a result of bribery, to stop a repeat of 1849.

 **1871:** New Year was when the new constitution came into power and technical beginning of Wilhelm's reign as Emperor. The 18th of January was only meant as official celebration, commemorating the founding of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, Prussia's canonical birthday. Sadly, Wilhelm disagreed with his designated title and didn't really want to become Emperor in the first place. The Grand Duke of Baden's solution ended up the saving grace. The location of choice was an additional "Fuck You" to the French and the proclamation occurred as I wrote it. The painting was a birthday gift to Bismarck and the third version of it, the other two (slightly more historically correct, instead of flattering Bismarck by emphasizing him as well as Wilhelm) were destroyed in WWII.

 **A/N: OOF! I was starting to think I would never be done. I was stuck so often and am so glad it's over oh my God. It was fun, but wow, so exhausting. I've never written something for which I had to research that much (despite largely depending on my notes and texts from school), plus it's my longest and most serious work ever. I'm not quite happy with how some of it turned out, but I am proud of myself for finishing. I'm glad I participated in this event, it was amazing and I've seen so much beautiful fanworks. I hope there's another one someday.  
Reviews, favourites, reblogs on tumblr (same name, I'm fryingpanglegirl) etc. would all make me very happy, but there is obviously no pressure. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this.**


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